Circuit-interrupter.



H. P. DAVIS & C. AALBORG.

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1912.

Patented May 25, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Q INVENTORSI 9L2 WITNESSES:

ATTORN EY H. P. DAVIS 1 c. AALBORG.

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21. 1912.

Patented May 25, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTQRS ATTORNEY UNITED STA1 11 P TENT OFFICE.

HARRY P. DAVIS, OF PITTSBURGH, AND CHRISTIAN AALBORG, 0F WILKINSBURG,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCUIT-INTEBRUPTER.

Original application filed June 25, 1906, Serial No. 323,353. Dividedand this application filed May 27, 1912.

Serial No.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY P. DAVIS and Crinis'rrax AALBonc, citizens ofthe United States, and residents, respectively, of Pittsburgh and of\Vilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in (Jircuit-Interrupters, of whichthe following is a specification, this application being a division ofapplication Serial No. 323,355, filed June 25, 1906.

Our invention relates to circuit-breakers and has special reference tosuch devices as are adapted to automatically interrupt electric circuitsupon the occurrence of predetermined conditions therein.

The object of our invention is to provide a circuit-breaker of the classabove indicated, which shall be simple and durable in construction,electrically operated, automatically actuated to interrupt the circuitunder predetermined conditions and manually actuated under certain otherconditions, and specially adapted for outdoor service.

In the application of a relatively highvoltage trolley line constructionto general railway service, it is desirable to divide the trolley lineinto sections, which may be readily disconnected from the source ofsupply so that repairs may be elfected without danger. Circuitinterrupters which are employed for this purpose must be amply protectedfrom weather conditions and arranged so that the operating parts may beinspected and repaired without danger of injury to the attendant. Inorder to accomplish the aforesaid objective results, the circuitbreakerof our present invention is entirely inclosed in a water-tight casing,is electrically operated and is provided with an automatic trippingmechanism, which may be actuated when the current traversing thecircuits completed through the switch exceeds a predetermined amount orwhen the cover of the inclosing casing is removed or moved to openposition. The overload tripping device is so arranged that the electricoperating mechanism will not close the switch when the tripping coil isenergized.

As is usual in high-voltage circuit-breakers, the operating contactmembers which are first separated when the circuit is interrupted areoil-immersed but the stationary members, instead of being directlyconnected to the line conductors, as is the usual arrangement, areconnected to a second set of stationary members by means of bridgingcontact switch members that are relatively stationary and are supportedby and insulated from the cover. The second set of statlonary terminalmembers are connected to the line conductors and are so embedded ininsulation that, when the cover is open, the exposed contact members arethoroughly protected and are almost inaccessible to an inspector orattendant Who may be employed 111 repairing the operating mechanism.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a view, mainly in elevation butpartially in section, of a circuit interrupter constructed in accordancewith our invention and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the interrupter with thecover partially broken away.

Referring to the drawings, the circuit interrupter illustrated comprisesstationary contact members 1, i2, 3 and i, movable bridging contactmembers 5, (3, and 7, an inclosing casing 8, having a hinged cover 9, adetachable fluid-containing tank 10, and on operating mechanism 11. Thestationary contact members 2 and 4 comprise vertical rods 12 ofconducting material, which are attached to, and insulated from thebottom of the casing 8 by means of molded insulating supports 13. Thelower ends of the rods 12 project from holes in the bottom of the casingand are provided with terminal members 14, to which line conductors maybe attached. These members are protected by bell-shaped insulators 15,which are fitted into the lower ends of the insulators 13 and form atapered plug and sleeve connection therewith. The upper ends ofstationary members 2 and 4 are provided with forked projections 10 and17, which are adapted to be respectively engaged by the bridging contactmembers 5 and 6. The upper portions of the stationary contact members 1and 3 are similar to those of the members 2 and el, being provided withforked terminal members 18 and 19 which are adapted to be engaged by theopposite ends of the bridging contact members 5 and 6. The lower ends ofthe members 1 and 3 extend through suitable holes in the casing S, fromwhich they are separated by insulators 20 and are pro Patented May 25,1915.

vided with resilient cup-shaped terminal members 21 of a well knownconstruction, such as are shown and described in Patent No. 758,621,granted to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, as assignee ofHarry P. Davis. The movable contact member 7 that is adapted to engagethe stationary resilient members 21, is connected to an operating lever22 by a link 26 and is located, together with stationary members 21, inthe fluid-containing tank 10. The upper end of the link 26 is pivotallyconnected to a clamp 27 that is attached to and insulated from theoperating lever 22. In this way, the operating mechanism 11 is exemptfrom any possibility of becoming electrically connected to the supplycircuit. The bridging contact members 5 and 6 are relatively stationary,both being mounted upon insulators 28 that are attached to the inside ofthe cover 9. The cover 9 is provided with a flange 9 which overhangs theupper edge of the casing 8, so that water is prevented from running intothe casing, and it is pivotally mounted upon hinge pins 29, which aresupported by forked projections 30 on the outside of the casing. Inorder to raise and lower the cover, which may be relatively heavy, ahandle lever 31 is pivotally mounted upon a stationary shaft 32 thatprojects from the side of the casing and is connected to the cover 9 bymeans of a forked projection 33 and a link 34. The arrangement of partsis such that the cover may be swung open through a predetermined angleand held in such position until the handle lever is swung back through asmall angle to release it.

The operating mechanism 11, is described in detail and claimed in mycopending application, Serial No. 323,353, of which this application isa division, and forms no part of my present invention. It comprises, ingeneral, the operating lever 22 which is fulcrumed at an intermediatepoint in its length, an operating magnet 46, a bell crank lever 37 and-atripping magnet 38. The lever 37 is so arranged that movement thereofthrough a predetermined angle in the one or the other direction servesto actuate the operating lever 22 and thereby move the bridging member 7into and out of engagement with the contact members 21. The magnet 46operates directly on a lever 49 which imparts its motion to an arm 43 ofthe lever 37. The bell crank lever 37 is connected to the lever 22 by alink 41 and is connected to the lever 49 by alatch 44. The arrangementof parts is such that the lever 49 and the lever 37 act together exceptwhen the tripping magnet 38 is energized. Under these conditions, thelatch 44 is released and it is impossible to close the circuit breakerby energizing the operating magnet 46.

Although I have shown a specific structure, I desire that variations insize, form and arrangement of parts which do not materially change themode of operation or result shall be included within the scope of myinvention, and that only such limitations shall be imposed as areindicated in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A switching device for an electric circuit comprising two pairs ofstationary contact terminals, a cooperating movable contact member forone pair of terminals, and an inclosing casing having a movable coverprovided with members for electrically connecting correspondingstationary terminals of the two pairs together and for cooperating withthe movable contact member to close the circuit when the cover is closedand acting to open the circuit when the cover is opened.

2. The combination with a pair of stationary conducting rods providedwith supporting bushings of insulating material and having resilient,cup-shaped oil-immersed contact terminals at their lower ends andcontact terminals at their upper ends, a movable bridging contact memberto cooperate with said lower terminals, a second air of similarlymounted stationary con ucting rods having circuit terminals at theirlower ends, and contact terminals at their upper ends, ofan inclosingand supporting casing for the stationary parts, a cover therefor switchblades mounted on and insulated from the cover and adapted to connectcorresponding upper contact members of the two pairs.

3. The combination with a pair of stationary conducting rods providedwith supporting bushings of insulating material and having contactterminals at their lower ends and contact terminals at their upper ends,a movable bridging contact member that cooperates with said lowerterminals, a second pair of similarly mounted stationary conducting rodshaving contact terminals at their upper ends, of an inclosing andsupporting casing for the stationary parts, a cover therefor, switchblades mounted on and insulated from, the cover and adapte to engagecorresponding upper contact members of the two pairs.

4. The combination with four stationary conducting rods provided withsupportin bushings of insulating material two of whic have contactterminals at their lower ends, a fluid-containing tank surrounding L lidterminals and a movable bridgin contact member which cooperatestherewith, stationary connectors attached to the lower ends of the othertwo rods, and contact terminals on the upper ends of all of the rods, ofan inclosing casing, a cover therefor, switch blades mounted upon andinsulated from the cover and adapted to so engage the upper contactterminals, when the cover is closed, that the circuit is completed fromone stationary connector through one switch blade, the movable bridgingcontact member and the other switch blade, to the opposite connector.

- 5. In a switching device for an electric circuit, the combination witha supporting frame, and a casing having a movable cover, of a pair ofstationary terminals to which line conductors may be attached, a secondpair of stationary terminals, a cooperating movable bridging contactmember for said second pair of terminals, and means mounted on the coverand serving to open and close the circuit when the cover is respectivelyopened and closed.

6. In a switching device for an electric circuit, the combination withframe, and a casing having a movable cover, of a pair of stationaryterminals to which line conductors of the circuit may be attached, asecond pair of stationary terminals, a cooperating movable bridgingcontact member for said second pair of terminals, and switching meansattached to the cover a supporting for interconnecting the two pairs ofstationary contact terminals when the cover is closed and for openingthe circuit when the cover is opened.

7. The combination with a pair of stationary conducting rods havingcontact members on both ends thereof, a movable bridging contact memberto cooperate therewith, a second pair of stationary conducting rodshavin contact members at their upper ends an circuit terminals at theirlower ends, of an inclosing casing for the stationary parts, a covertherefor, and switch blades mounted on and insulated from the cover forconnecting the upper contact members of the two pairs of stationaryconducting rods.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 11thday of May,.

HARRY P. DAVIS.

CHRISTIAN AALBORG.

Witnesses:

M. G. Mn'rz, B. B. HINES.

